The Gift of the Magi by O.
Henry
from The Gift of the Magi and Other Stories
This Level 1 ELLSA lesson can be accessed on the internet at
http://www.rdlthai.com/ellsa_giftofmagi1.html
Lesson plan and text: Jeffrey Taschner, John Morgan, 1999
Print and web-adaptation: John Morgan, 1999
© USIA, 1999. All rights reserved
1. SYNOPSIS
1a) Synopsis
Jim and Della are a husband and wife living in a rented room in
New York. They are quite poor and recently Jim has had his salary cut
back to only $20 a week from the $30 a week he used to make. After
rent and groceries, the couple hardly have any money left. Christmas
is only a day away and, for a Christmas present, Della wants to buy
Jim a gold watch chain for his gold watch. They do not have much to
be proud or happy about, but Jim is very proud of that watch. And
Della? Della is most proud of her beautiful long hair. But she really
wants to buy that gold chain for Jim's watch. Too bad she only has
$1.87. So, she decides to sell her hair to a woman who makes wigs and
other hair articles. The woman pays Della $20 for her hair. The chain
costs $21, so she now has enough money. She buys the chain to give
to Jim. She goes home and prepares Jim's dinner and waits for him to
come home, a little bit worried that Jim will be shocked when he sees
her with all her beautiful hair cut off. When Jim comes home, he does
look shocked when he sees Della with short hair. He stares at her in a
strange way and it scares her. She explains to Jim how she sold her
hair to buy him
a nice Christmas present. Jim tells her not to worry and that
nothing can change his love for her. The reason he is shocked to see
her without her long hair is that he also wanted to get a nice
Christmas present for Della. He gives her the present wrapped in paper
and Della unwraps it to see that Jim had bought her a set of beautiful
combs for her hair. She had seen them in a shop before, but they were
so expensive. How was Jim able to afford them? Suddenly, she
remembers Jim's present. She gives him the gold chain. The chain is
beautiful, but when Della asks Jim to put it on his watch, Jim surprises
her. He sold the watch to buy her those nice combs. Were they both
foolish to sell their favorite possessions? O.Henry tells us that, no,
they were wise. They were wise because they had each sacrificed
their most valuable possessions for the person they loved. They were
like the three wise men—the Magi—who brought presents for Jesus
Christ after he was born. Keep in mind, that this is why Christians still
give presents on Christmas Day: to remember the gifts the Magi
brought Christ on that very first Christmas.
1b) Vocab Checkpoint
• cut back (phrasal verb) To cut back is to reduce salary or spending
which is usually done in times of recession or slow business. It can be
used as a phrasal verb or as a noun.
• groceries (noun) Groceries, as a countable noun, are food provisions.
We usually consider these as essential food items (milk, eggs, rice,
vegetables, etc). As a non-countable noun, grocery is used to describe
the store where groceries are purchased.
• watch chain (noun) A watch chain is a chain that attached to an old-
fashioned pocket-watch. The other end of the chain was attached to a
waistcoat button hole so that the watch would not be lost if it fell out
of the pocket.
• Too bad (adjective) (colloquial) Too bad is an expression which is
similar to it's a shame, or it's a pity. It expresses a feeling of
disappointment at not being able to do something.
• wigs (noun) A wig is a false hair covering for the head. Wig makers
pay for real hair by its length. A person like Della, with extremely long
hair, would be able to get a good price for cutting it short. Other words
such as hairpiece and toupee (pronounced too pay) are also commonly
used to describe smaller coverings that are not full wigs.
• shocked (adjective) To be shocked is to be very surprised. It is also
a noun (shock) and a verb (to shock).
• strange (adjective) Strange means unusual. In this case it refers to
the way Jim looks at Della in an unexpected manner.
• possessions (noun) Possessions are personal belongings. The things
that we own. It is related to the verb possess which means to hold, to
keep or to own.
• sacrificed (verb) Here sacrificed is used as a verb. To sacrifice
something is to give away something valuable in order to help
somebody else. It can also be used as a noun, together with the verb
"to make", e.g. He made a big sacrifice to help his family.
• valuable (adjective) When something is valuable it is either worth a
lot of money, or it has strong emotional value and is something that
can not easily be replaced.
2. PRE-STORY
2a) Gifts
• Do you celebrate Christmas in your country?
• What are some of the ways that your country observes
Christmas?
• What are some other times of the year when people in your
country like to give or exchange gifts?
• What is the best gift you've every received?
Think about it and then tell a friend. Work with a friend or think
about someone you know well. Now think of a gift you think that
person would like to receive for Christmas, New Year or a
birthday (or another special occasion).
Write the gift down on a piece of paper, but don't show it to your
friend. Don't tell them what it is. Make them guess what it is.
How well do you know each other?
2b) Important dates
Christmas is a very special occasion for millions of people around
the world. However, many people think that Christmas has
become too commercial and it is easy to forget the true
spiritual meaning of a special occasion.
Think about all the special events in your country or region.
Make a list of all the special dates that you celebrate during each
year. Pay careful attention to the ones that you or your
family celebrate most.
Write a short description of what you do on one of those special
occasions. Don't forget to include the names of the people
who join in the celebration and places you visit. Especially,
write about the things you do on those days that are connected
to the real meaning of the celebration and why you do them.
Which is the most important day of the year for you?
3. IN-STORY
3a) The Magi were the three wise men who brought gifts to Jesus
Christ when he was born. Magi is the plural of magus: a magus is
a wise man or magician. The words magic and magician are
derived from magus.
If you have worked with the first four lessons in ELLSA, look at
the review the elements used in The Gift of the Magi.
Setting
What is the setting of the story? Think about time and place.
Character
How many characters are in the story?
Can you name them?
Which character speaks the following lines and what do these
lines tell us about their character?
• And now I think we should have our dinner.
• Will you buy my hair?
• I sold the watch to get the money to buy the combs.
• You've cut off your hair?
• Isn't it perfect, Jim?
• What could I do with a dollar and eighty-seven cents?
• Don't you like me now?
• You won't care, will you?
Re-tell the story by putting the lines in order.
Check your answers in the answer key.
Plot
What is the climax of the story?
What is the resolution of the story?
Conflict
What are some of the possible conflicts that could arise in a story
like this? Think back to the anxieties of Jim and Della (the
answers to the character exercise could help you here).
Write a short dialog based on one of the possible conflicts that
could arise.
You might like to develop this into a short dramatic performance
for the rest of the class.
3b) Theme
This lesson introduces the final element of the short story that
will be examined in the first section of ELLSA: the theme of
the story. Look up the word theme in a dictionary or a
thesaurus.
You will probably find most of the following synonyms for theme:
topic, idea, subject, issue, point.
The last word, point, is a good way to think about theme. The
theme is the point, or reason, for writing a story. Some people think
of theme as the message or meaning.
3c) Major and Minor Themes
A story usually has one main theme and several minor themes.
Below is a list of some common general themes in literature
around the world. Think of some stories or movies that you are
familiar with and try to identify some of the themes in them. Eight of
these themes can be found in The Gift of the Magi. Explain how
O.Henry uses each theme you identify and then check the key to
see if you have found all the themes in the story.
• Art r • Justice r
• Beauty r • Knowledge r
• Bravery r • Law r
• Death r • Loss r
• Fear r • Love r
• Family r • Money r
• Faith r • Nature r
• Freedom r • Peace r
• The Future r • Poverty r
• Giving r • Pride r
• Greed r • Sacrifice r
• Growing Up r • Religion r
• Heroism r • Sacrifice r
• Honesty r • Truth r
• Hope r • War r
• Identity r • Wisdom r
• Independence r
Check your answers in the answer key
3d) Ranking: Major and Minor Themes
Rank the eight themes identified above from 1-8 with 1 being the
main theme in the story and 8 the least important minor theme.
There are many possibilities, depending on your personal
beliefs. Compare and contrast your choice for main theme
with other people.
4. EXERCISES
4a) Exploring specific themes: Sacrifice & Wisdom
Sacrifice
Many teachers in the USA feel that sacrifice, or giving up
something for someone else, is the main theme in The Gift of the Magi.
Both Della and Jim make sacrifices so they can buy Christmas gifts for
each other. Who made the greatest sacrifice, Della, by selling her hair
or Jim, by selling his watch? Why? Write a short paragraph of your
own thoughts on this matter. You can use this paragraph to help you
in classroom discussion or debate.
Wisdom
At the end of the story, O.Henry seems to be saying two different
things. Read below from page 6 in The Gift of the Magi. And here I have
told you the story of two children who were not wise. Each sold the
most valuable thing he owned in order to buy a gift for the other. But
let me speak a last word to the wise of these days: Of all who give
gifts, these two were the most wise.
• Who are the two children?
• Why does O' Henry refer to them as "children"?
• How were they unwise?
• How were they wise?
Compare with the notes on this exercise in the answer key
4b) Themes & proverbs
Usually, an authors theme can be stated in terms that resemble
familiar sayings or proverbs.
Look at these English sayings. Are there similar sayings in your
language. If not, can you translate them easily into your
language?
• Love is the greatest gift of all.
• Money can't buy you love.
• A gift must come from the heart.
• Beauty comes from within.
Which of the four sayings best describes the main theme of The
Gift of the Magi?
5. FOLLOW-UP
Dramatization
Animators and movie makers use a technique called "story-
boarding" to illustrate the scenes as they want them to
be represented on screen. A story board is like a sketch of
the characters and setting, with the intention of visually
interpreting, plot, conflict and theme. Even though it may be
difficult to draw illustrations that would interpret events
from a story such as The Gift of the Magi, it is possible to provide
short written descriptions of each scene as it is intended
to be portrayed. This is a common technique in script writing.
• Plot a new ending for the story.
• Imagine that Della tries to buy back Jim's watch.
• How will she raise the money?
• What will Jim's reaction be?
Draw a few sketches that illustrate the scenes from the story or
write descriptions of the scenes as you would like
them to be portrayed. In groups of three, plan and perform a
short skit using the dialog you have created and the scenes
you have visualized.
Think carefully of all the elements you have worked with in the
five short stories: character, setting, plot, conflict and theme. How
does your new ending relate to each of these elements?
ANSWER KEY
3a) Which character speaks the following lines? Answers
Which character speaks the following lines, Jim or Della?
What does each line tell us about their character?
And now I think we should have our dinner.
Jim: he doesn't want either of them to worry or think too much
about their new gifts and lost possessions. He just wants them
to enjoy Christmas together.
Will you buy my hair?
Della: she is willing to sacrifice her beautiful hair to be able to
buy a nice gift for her husband.
I sold the watch to get the money to buy the combs.
Jim: he is willing to sell his most prized possession, his watch, to
buy Della a nice gift.
You've cut off your hair?
Jim: he realizes that Della will not need the combs he bought her
for a while.
Isn't it perfect, Jim?
Della: she really wants to make Jim happy.
What could I do with a dollar and eighty-seven cents?
Della: she doesn't have very much money and she is worried that
she can't buy a nice present for Jim.
Don't you like me now?
Della: she is worried that Jim will not like her with short hair.
You won't care, will you?
Della: she is worried that Jim will not like her with short hair.
• In what order are the lines spoken in the story? (2, 6, 8, 7, 4, 5,
3, 1)
3c) Major and Minor Themes: one interpretation of the story
The eight themes that O' Henry uses are:
Beauty Della is worried that Jim won't think she is
beautiful with short hair, but Jim loves her for
more than just her beautiful hair and how
she looks. If you really love somebody, they
are beautiful no matter how they look.
Family Jim and Della are husband and wife and they
love each other. Jim's watch was given to him
by his father and has been in his family for many
years. Still, he sacrifices it out of love for
Della.
Giving Della and Jim both feel that it is important to
give nice gifts to each other to express their
love.
Identity Della learns that Jim loves her for just for being
herself, not because of her hair or the
Christmas present she buys him.
Love Because Jim and Della love each other,
there is really no need to prove their love by
buying gifts for each other.
Love is the greatest gift. Money Della and Jim sell
valuable things to get money to buy gifts for
each other, because they are poor.
Sacrifice Both Della and Jim give up valuable possessions
so they can buy Christmas gifts for each
other.
Wisdom Della and Jim were wise because they were
willing to make sacrifices to show their love for
each other.
4a) Exploring specific themes: Sacrifice & Wisdom—notes
Wisdom
At the end of the story, O.Henry seems to be saying two different
things. Read below from page 6 in The Gift of the Magi.
“And here I have told you the story of two children who were not
wise. Each sold the most valuable thing he owned in order to buy a gift
for the other. But let me speak a last word to the wise of these
days: Of all who give gifts, these two were the most wise.”
Who are the two children?
Jim and Della
Why does O' Henry refer to them as "children"?
Although they are both young adults, they are simple like children
in many ways.
How were they unwise?
They sold valuable things to buy gifts that they didn't really need
to buy in the first place, because they were truly in love.
How were they wise?
They thought only of the other person and not of themselves
when they gave their gifts.
